# Schoterland (electoral district)

Schoterland was an electoral district of the House of Representatives in the Netherlands from 1888 to 1918.

## Profile

The electoral district of Schoterland was created in 1888 out of part of the Sneek district, which was reduced from three seats to one. Schoterland's boundaries remained the same throughout the electoral district's existence. Fully located in the province of Friesland, it included the rural municipalities of Aengwirden, Haskerland, Opsterland, Schoterland and Utingeradeel. It was a predominantly agricultural district.
The district's population increased slightly during its existence, from 45,522 in 1888 to 49,011 in 1909. A majority ranging from 59% to 68% of the population was Reformed, with around 10 to 12% being Gereformeerd. The proportion of Mennonites dropped from 8.7% in 1888 to 6.5% in 1909. Catholics made up just 3% of the population. A substantial minority of the population was nondenominational, peaking at 19.6% in 1909.
The district of Schoterland was abolished upon the introduction of party-list proportional representation in 1918.

## Members

Schoterland was a left-wing, so-called "red district", electing only candidates from the parliamentary left throughout its existence. In its first election, the district elected Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis, the first socialist member of the House of Representatives. In 1891, the radical Liberal Willem Treub defeated Domela Nieuwenhuis, but did not take his seat because another radical was elected in a different district, and Treub believed the socialists should be represented in parliament as well. Nevertheless, the subsequent by-election was won by another Liberal, Hendrik Pyttersen. In 1909, Theo de Meester won the district of Schoterland as well as the district of Den Helder. He opted to represent Den Helder, thus triggering another by-election in Schoterland.
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1888 | Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis | Soc |
| 1891 | Willem Treub | Lib |
| 1891 | Hendrik Pyttersen | Lib |
| 1894 | Hendrik Pyttersen | Lib |
| 1897 | Geert van der Zwaag | SDAP |
| 1901 | Geert van der Zwaag | SDAP |
| 1905 | Geert van der Zwaag | SDAP |
| 1909 | Theo de Meester | Lib |
| 1909 | Joseph Limburg | VD |
| 1913 | Maup Mendels | SDAP |
| 1917 | Maup Mendels | SDAP |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1880s

1888 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Bernardus Hermanus Heldt | Lib | 1,062 | 43.61 | 1,036 | 47.03 |
| | Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis | Soc | 769 | 31.58 | 1,167 | 52.97 |
| | Luutzen de Vries | AR | 587 | 24.11 | | |
| Others | Others | Others | 17 | 0.70 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 2,435 | 100.00 | 2,203 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 2,435 | 99.59 | 2,203 | 99.06 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 10 | 0.41 | 21 | 0.94 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,445 | 100.00 | 2,224 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 2,959 | 82.63 | 2,959 | 75.16 |
| | Socialist gain | Socialist gain | Socialist gain | Socialist gain | Socialist gain | Socialist gain |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut |||||||

### Elections in the 1890s

1891 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis | Soc | 748 | 33.42 | 919 | 45.20 |
| | Willem Treub | Lib | 607 | 27.12 | 1,114 | 54.80 |
| | Ulrich Herman Huber | AR | 587 | 26.23 | | |
| | J.C. van den Berg | Lib | 294 | 13.14 | | |
| Others | Others | Others | 2 | 0.09 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 2,238 | 100.00 | 2,033 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 2,238 | 98.98 | 2,033 | 97.55 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 23 | 1.02 | 51 | 2.45 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,261 | 100.00 | 2,084 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 2,861 | 79.03 | 2,861 | 72.84 |
| | Liberal gain | Liberal gain | Liberal gain | Liberal gain | Liberal gain | Liberal gain |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut (1, 2) |||||||
1891 Schoterland by-election :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Hendrik Pyttersen | Lib | 800 | 44.74 | 1,106 | 51.01 |
| | Pieter van Vliet | AR | 771 | 43.12 | 1,062 | 48.99 |
| | Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis | Soc | 215 | 12.02 | | |
| Others | Others | Others | 2 | 0.11 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 1,788 | 100.00 | 2,168 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,788 | 99.33 | 2,168 | 98.59 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 12 | 0.67 | 31 | 1.41 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,800 | 100.00 | 2,199 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 2,861 | 62.92 | 2,861 | 76.86 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut (1, 2) |||||||
1894 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Hendrik Pyttersen | Lib | 834 | 91.65 |
| | Geert van der Zwaag | Rad | 76 | 8.35 |
| Total | Total | Total | 910 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 910 | 95.29 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 45 | 4.71 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 955 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 2,832 | 33.72 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut |||||
1897 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Geert van der Zwaag | SDAP | 1,344 | 39.15 | 1,941 | 54.04 |
| | Hendrik Pyttersen | Lib | 994 | 28.95 | 1,651 | 45.96 |
| | Abraham Kuyper | AR | 861 | 25.08 | | |
| | Herman Verkouteren | CHK | 234 | 6.82 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 3,433 | 100.00 | 3,592 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 3,433 | 98.23 | 3,592 | 98.93 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 62 | 1.77 | 39 | 1.07 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,495 | 100.00 | 3,631 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 5,584 | 62.59 | 5,584 | 65.03 |
| | SDAP gain | SDAP gain | SDAP gain | SDAP gain | SDAP gain | SDAP gain |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut (1, 2) |||||||

### Elections in the 1900s

1901 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Geert van der Zwaag | SDAP | 1,704 | 46.68 | 2,168 | 59.94 |
| | Jan Schokking | FCH | 1,012 | 27.73 | 1,449 | 40.06 |
| | J.P. Engelman | Lib | 934 | 25.59 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 3,650 | 100.00 | 3,617 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 3,650 | 97.99 | 3,617 | 99.10 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 75 | 2.01 | 33 | 0.90 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,725 | 100.00 | 3,650 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 5,184 | 71.86 | 5,184 | 70.41 |
| | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut (1, 2) |||||||
1905 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Geert van der Zwaag | SDAP | 2,085 | 43.83 | 3,172 | 63.89 |
| | J. Huizinga | AR | 1,342 | 28.21 | 1,793 | 36.11 |
| | Carel Victor Gerritsen | VD | 1,330 | 27.96 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,757 | 100.00 | 4,965 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 4,757 | 98.75 | 4,965 | 99.12 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 60 | 1.25 | 44 | 0.88 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,817 | 100.00 | 5,009 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 6,365 | 75.68 | 6,365 | 78.70 |
| | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut (1, 2) |||||||
1909 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | J.A. Bergmeyer | SDAP | 1,756 | 36.46 | 2,125 | 45.31 |
| | Theo de Meester | Lib | 1,547 | 32.12 | 2,565 | 54.69 |
| | Jan Ankerman | CHU | 1,513 | 31.42 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,816 | 100.00 | 4,690 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 4,816 | 99.65 | 4,690 | 99.77 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 17 | 0.35 | 11 | 0.23 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,833 | 100.00 | 4,701 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 6,707 | 72.06 | 6,707 | 70.09 |
| | Liberal gain | Liberal gain | Liberal gain | Liberal gain | Liberal gain | Liberal gain |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut (1, 2) |||||||
1909 Schoterland by-election :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Joseph Limburg | VD | 2,467 | 52.65 |
| | J.A. Bergmeyer | SDAP | 2,219 | 47.35 |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,686 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 4,686 | 99.81 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 9 | 0.19 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,695 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 6,707 | 70.00 |
| | Free-thinking Democratic gain | Free-thinking Democratic gain | Free-thinking Democratic gain | Free-thinking Democratic gain |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut |||||

### Elections in the 1910s

1913 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | First round | First round | Second round | Second round |
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Maup Mendels | SDAP | 2,859 | 47.22 | 3,200 | 58.76 |
| | Joseph Limburg | VD | 1,733 | 28.62 | 2,246 | 41.24 |
| | Chris Smeenk | AR | 1,463 | 24.16 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,055 | 100.00 | 5,446 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 6,055 | 99.26 | 5,446 | 99.45 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 45 | 0.74 | 30 | 0.55 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,100 | 100.00 | 5,476 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 7,812 | 78.08 | 7,812 | 70.10 |
| | SDAP gain | SDAP gain | SDAP gain | SDAP gain | SDAP gain | SDAP gain |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut (1, 2) |||||||
1917 general election: Schoterland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Maup Mendels | SDAP | 2,135 | 78.75 |
| | H.J. Rijsewijk | SDP | 576 | 21.25 |
| Total | Total | Total | 2,711 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 2,711 | 98.73 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 35 | 1.27 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,746 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 8,751 | 31.38 |
| | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold | SDAP hold |
| Source: Kiesraad, Huygens Instituut |||||